Tag Archives: USS John McCain

Former USS Fitzgerald CO Outlines Defense in Rebuttal to SECNAV

Former USS Fitzgerald CO Outlines Defense in Rebuttal to SECNAV

Cmdr. Bryce Benson, then-executive officer, assists in bringing down the battle ensign aboard USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) in 2016. US Navy Photo

The former commander of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) is pushing back against a rebuke from the Secretary of the Navy, disputing major facts in the service’s argument he was criminally negligent leading up a June 17, 2017, fatal collision, according to a copy of the April 26 rebuttal obtained by USNI News. Read More

USS Fitzgerald CO, Junior Officer Receive Formal Censure Ahead of Dismissal of Negligence Charges

USS Fitzgerald CO, Junior Officer Receive Formal Censure Ahead of Dismissal of Negligence Charges

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) stands by before it is loaded onto the heavy lift transport vessel MV Transshelf in 2017. US Navy Photo

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has issued formal letters of censure to the former commander and tactical action officer of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) for their roles in the June 17, 2017, collision between a destroyer and a merchant ship. Read More

Board Finds ‘No Basis’ to Remove Officer Involved in USS Fitzgerald Collision from Navy

Board Finds ‘No Basis’ to Remove Officer Involved in USS Fitzgerald Collision from Navy

The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) arrives at the port of Pascagoula, Miss. on Jan. 19, 2018 aboard the heavy lift transport vessel M/V Transshelf. US Navy Photo

A board of inquiry moved not to separate from service a sailor who the Navy had previously charged with negligent homicide for his role in the 2017 fatal collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), USNI News has learned. Read More

Document: Navy Readiness Council One-Year Report

Document: Navy Readiness Council One-Year Report

The following is the Feb. 25, 2019 one-year report from the Readiness and Reform Oversight Council (RROC) that was established following the 2017 fatal collisions in the Western Pacific and chaired by Under Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly and Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran. Read More

Davidson Defends Surface Navy Readiness in Letter to Angus King

Davidson Defends Surface Navy Readiness in Letter to Angus King

Adm. Phil Davidson participates in an honors ceremony at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in New Zealand in August 2018. US Navy Photo

The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is defending the Navy’s effort to reform its surface fleet after a tense exchange with a senator in a posture hearing earlier this month. Read More

Military Judge Disqualifies Naval Reactors Director Caldwell from Overseeing Fitzgerald CO Trial

Military Judge Disqualifies Naval Reactors Director Caldwell from Overseeing Fitzgerald CO Trial

Adm. James F. Caldwell, Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, gives remarks during a senior leader all hands at Sharkey Theater, July 11, 2017. US Navy Photo

A military judge has disqualified Director of Naval Reactors Adm. Frank Caldwell from overseeing the upcoming negligence trial of the former USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) commander due to actions Caldwell made during other legal proceedings related to the fatal 2017 collision, according to a copy of a Tuesday ruling obtained by USNI News. Read More

Top Stories 2018: Major Navy Legal Cases

Top Stories 2018: Major Navy Legal Cases

Several high profile legal actions for the Navy occurred in 2018 from the ongoing Fat Leonard investigation to several special operations cases and the ongoing accountability actions for the Western Pacific destroyer collisions that killed 17 sailors. Read More

Wide Swath of Surface Navy Reforms Included in 2019 NDAA Conference Bill

Wide Swath of Surface Navy Reforms Included in 2019 NDAA Conference Bill

Ens. Scott Payne observes the tow line from the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110). US Navy Photo

This post has been updated to clarify a provision that would change the timing of a warship’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) inspection. The bill calls for “minimal notice” for INSURVs, not “no notice.”

The Senate and House armed services committees agreed on several major reforms to Navy’s surface forces as part of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act in reaction to the two fatal collisions of warships in the Western Pacific. Read More